Bible Places - Elah Valley, Adullam

Elah Valley

View from 

Azekah

The best view of the valley is from the commanding hilltop of Azekah.  This strategic city was wisely fortified by Rehoboam, and it was one of the last cities to fall to the Babylonians in the invasion of Judah in 586 BC.  The valley below is the location of the battle of David and Goliath.

Elah Tree

The valley gets it name from the Elah tree, a type of oak or terebinth tree.  This large and old Elah tree still remains in the valley, reminding visitors of the day when trees proliferated in the Shephelah (cf. 1 Kings 10:27).

Adullam

Located on the east end of the valley is the site of Adullam.  This place proved to be the perfect place for David to hide in his initial flight from Saul.  As it today rests on the border between pre-1967 Israel and the West Bank, so in David’s day, this site was apparently in “no-man’s land” where he could stay safely out of the path of Saul or the Philistines.

Cave of Adullam

1 Samuel 22 says that David hid in the “cave of Adullam.”  Today there are many caves at the site and it’s not clear which one or ones David used, as many have been used and modified in the years since.  While he was here, 400 men who were in debt, distress or discontent, gathered around David.

View of Valley from Socoh

This panoramic view of the Elah Valley from the south is an approximate view of what the Philistine army saw as they faced the Israelites in the battle commonly known as “David vs. Goliath.”  The Philistines were encamped on the south side of the valley and King Saul’s forces occupied the hill on the northern side.